The present invention relates to a new and distinct perennial variety of Vaccinium hybrid (Southern Highbush Blueberry), which has been given the variety denomination of ‘RIDLEY 1403’. Its market class is that of a fruiting plant. ‘RIDLEY 1403’ is intended for use as fresh fruit for shipping, customer pick and processing markets and as a home garden plant.
The new Vaccinium hybrid cultivar is a selection resulting from seedlings produced in a breeding programme of Vaccinium at Lindendale, NSW, Australia in 2006 from a controlled pollination of seed parent ‘S02-25-05’ (unpatented) by pollen parent ‘S03-08-02’ (unpatented). The new cultivar was discovered and selected as a single plant designated ‘M08-14-03’ within a population of one hundred plants of Vaccinium hybrids in 2008 in a commercial field plantation environment at Lindendale, New South Wales, Australia. Selection criteria was a combination of strong plant growth vigor, low chilling requirement, early to medium season of fruit ripening, small picking scar, strong berry firmness, high yield, very large berry size, good flavor, and sweet, crisp fruit. The selection was subsequently evaluated for over two years at commercial farms at Lindendale, New South Wales, Australia.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by cutting propagation since 2008 at Lindendale, New South Wales, Australia and has demonstrated that the new cultivar reproduces true to type with all of the characteristics, as herein described, firmly fixed and retained through successive generations of such asexual propagation.
The new variety has been primarily compared to the ‘C99-42’ (U.S. Pat. No. 20,695). In Lindendale, New South Wales, Australia the plant growth vigour of ‘RIDLEY 1403’ is ‘strong’ whereas the plant growth vigour of ‘C99-42’ is ‘medium to strong’. The leaf width of ‘RIDLEY 1403’ is ‘broad’ (mean 35.1 mm) whereas the leaf width of ‘C99-42’ is ‘medium to broad’ (mean 30.2 mm). The berry diameter of ‘RIDLEY 1403’ is ‘very large (mean 24.0 mm) whereas the berry diameter of ‘C99-42’ is ‘large’ (mean 18.4 mm). The berry calyx basin diameter of ‘RIDLEY 1403’ is ‘large’ (mean 8.1 mm) whereas the berry calyx basin diameter of ‘C99-42’ is ‘medium’ (mean 6.3 mm). The berry sweetness of ‘RIDLEY 1403’ is rated as ‘high’ whereas the sweetness of ‘C99-42’ is ‘medium’. The berry acidity of ‘RIDLEY 1403’ is rated as ‘medium to high’ whereas the acidity of ‘C99-42’ is ‘low to medium’. This combination of vegetative and fruiting attributes results in ‘RIDLEY 1403’ being a desirable variety for mid season commercial production.
‘RIDLEY 1403’ can also be compared to the variety ‘CO3-158’ (unpatented). The plant growth habit of ‘RIDLEY 1403’ is ‘upright to semi-upright’ whereas the plant growth habit of ‘CO3-158’ is ‘semi-upright’. In Lindendale, New South Wales, Australia the time of vegetative bud burst of ‘RIDLEY 1403’ is classified as ‘early to medium’ whereas the time of vegetative bud burst of ‘CO3-158’ is classified as ‘early’. The time of beginning of flowering of ‘RIDLEY 1403’ is classified as ‘very early’ whereas the time of beginning of flowering of time of ‘CO3-158’ is classified as ‘early to medium’. The berry shape of ‘RIDLEY 1403’ is round whereas the berry shape of ‘CO3-158’ is oblate. The berry diameter of ‘RIDLEY 1403’ is ‘very large (mean 24.0 mm) whereas the berry diameter of ‘CO3-158’ is ‘large’ (mean 18.5 mm).The berry calyx basin diameter of ‘RIDLEY 1403’ is ‘large’ (mean 8.1 mm) whereas the berry calyx basin diameter of ‘CO3-158’ is ‘medium to large’ (mean 7.2 mm). The depth of berry calyx basin of ‘RIDLEY 1403’ is ‘deep’ whereas the depth of berry calyx basin of ‘CO3-158’ is ‘shallow’. The berry acidity of ‘RIDLEY 1403’ is ‘medium to high’ whereas ‘CO3-158’ is ‘medium’. See Table 1 for comparisons